1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bumper structure for a vehicle such as an automobile and more particularly relates to a vehicle bumper structure that can enhance a safety performance for protection of pedestrians.
2. Description of the Related Art
A bumper provided on a front end of a vehicle includes an energy absorption (EA) member inside a bumper face that is designed to be a part of the exterior of a vehicle. The EA member receives a compressive load from the bumper face upon a collision, transmits the load to a vehicle main body and has an effect of absorbing an impact.
As a technology concerning such a vehicle bumper structure, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-204016 has disclosed energy absorption members that are individually disposed inside an upper portion (a main body) and a lower portion (an air dam) of a bumper face.
In order to enhance a safety performance for protection of pedestrians, there is a known effective measure that has an energy absorption member receive a load from a pedestrian's leg at a position as low as possible and tip the pedestrian over to turn an upper part of the leg toward a rear side of a vehicle and to flip the pedestrian up onto the hood.
However, the energy absorption member does not always receive the load from the pedestrian's leg at an ideal height on account of the height of the vehicle or the design of the vehicle. In particular, in the case of a vehicle such as a sport utility vehicle (SUV) having a larger height than a common passenger car, the position at which a load is received becomes higher inevitably.
Also, in the case where the load is received at a plurality of positions spaced in the vertical direction, it is preferable to increase the vertical span so as to distribute the load against the leg, thereby preventing a pressure from becoming excessive.
However, there may be a case where the EA member may not be able to be disposed in an upper portion of the bumper at a sufficiently high location due to constraints of design or the like of the vehicle.